ATLANTA—As sure as Badou Jack enters a fight with a major title on the line, a close and debatable decision is sure to follow.

The hard-luck former two-division titlist landed on the wrong end of a close call versus former lineal champ Jean Pascal, who scored a 12-round split decision win Saturday evening at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Judge Judy Lederman scored it 114-112 for Jack, while Nelson Vasquez had it 114-112 for Pascal. Judge Barry Lindenam’s card of 114-112 landed in favor of Pascal to preserve his secondary light heavyweight title reign.

“I won this fight,” Pascal insisted after the win, his second in a 2019 campaign which warrants strong consideration for Comeback of the Year. “It was a close fight, but I won it.

“Badou is a great fighter but no one can say he was robbed. I won that fight. I’m the champ.”

Final punchstat numbers don’t always tell the final story, but would disagree with the defending titlist as did the vocal crowd of 14,129 on hand for the first championship-level card in Atlanta in more than 20 years. Compubox’s unofficial stats had Jack landing more total punches than Pascal (244 to 155) and at a higher connect percentage (39% to 28%). 

The opening round was a feel-‘em out session in both directions. Pascal scored with a left hook downstairs and then up top, as Jack pawed with his jab. Jack connected with a right hand which drew a rise out the crowd. The former two-division titlist from Las Vegas by way of Stockholm, Sweden managed to keep Pascal well within his desired punching range, drawing the vocal approval of promoter and retired former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather seated front and center at ringside.

 Jack began to work his jab in round two but often neglecting to follow up with a right hand. Pascal seized the moment, countering with power shots upstairs. A right hand by Jack late in the round caught the attention of Pascal, who wisely stepped back and out of harm’s way. Pascal was sent reeling into the ropes just before the bell, though not the cause of a punch and correctly not ruled as a knockdown.

Pascal fought behind a high guard to begin round three, attempting to catch Jack off guard but missing wide with a sneak right hand. The former lineal light heavyweight king from Laval, Canada by way of Port-au-Prince, Haiti picked up the pace as the round progressed, connecting with right hands. Jack came on late in the frame, his right hand finding a home as Pascal’s hands were down by his waist.

A left uppercut ignited a rally for Jack in the early part of round four, as Pascal was trapped in a corner in his best effort to fend off the incoming attack. The 15-year ring veteran wisely clinched his way out of trouble and gained control in a big way later in the frame. A right hand by Pascal had Jack on wobbly legs, with a follow-up right sending him to the canvas with roughly 10 seconds to go in the round.

“I think he caught me up here (on top of the head),” Jack admitted to Showtime’s Jim Grey. “I didn’t really see the punch. I wasn’t that hurt but it was a good punch.”

Jack shook off the scare, returning to his jab in round five but a frame where he once again had to worry about pushing through a cut. A clash of heads left Jack with an open wound over his right eye, though of course nowhere nearly as horrific as what he suffered in his loss to Marcus Browne earlier this year. Pascal ran a 10-second drill in his best effort to sway the judges, a tactic which Jack’s corner picked upon while also going to work on his cut.

Both boxers had their say in a spirited round six. Pascal continued to find success with wide right hands, while Jack looked to work the body. Referee Bill Clancy disrupted that strategy, issuing a warning for what appeared to be a clean body shot. Jack went back to his jab, wisely boxing from the outside at the 10-second mark to prevent an onrushing attack from Pascal.

Jack turned the tide with a right hand in round eight, briefly stunning Pascal and sending him to the ropes. Momentum quickly swung in the other direction, as Pascal wisely covered up and came out swinging to force Jack backward. The former two-division titlist shook off the blow and scored with a clean right hand as the bell sounded to end the round.

A left hook by Pascal found its way to his foe’s chin at the start of round nine. Jack shook off the blow, but his outstretched jab provided Pascal with a clean path to land a right hand to his midsection. Jack corrected the tactic, working his own right hand while maintaining his distance. Pascal closed the gap in round ten, landing a right hand downstairs while Jack connected with his jab up top and wisely protecting his body whenever Pascal worked his way back inside.

Another clash of heads occurred at the start of round 11, though with minimal effect and both boxers eager to resume action. Jack fought behind the stick, remaining well within desired punching range and able to avoid Pascal’s wind-up left hooks. Pascal connected with a right hand towards round end, though immediately met with a combination by Jack but missing with a sweeping left hook at the bell.

Having been involved in far too many close decisions, Jack fought to close the show in the final round. A right hand had Pascal dazed, with Jack landing several more as an accumulation of punches ultimately sent Pascal reeling through the ropes. He beat the count and quickly recovered, though Jack went right back on the attack. It turned out to be too little, too late in the eyes of two of the judges.

Pascal managed his second consecutive win as he improves to 35-6-1 (20KOs), even if the crowd disagreed with the call. Nevertheless, the 37-year old continues to breathe life into a career that has been written off countless times before—with Pascal even announcing his retirement two years ago before reconsidering and returning to the win.

He has since won three of his last four, including an upset technical decision of Browne this past August to claim an interim strap.

“I think I was in control the whole fight,” Pascal boldly claimed. “I kept the middle of the ring most of the time.  Badou is a great fighter, but I won the fight.

“I can finish every round very strong.  I’m a strong, pressure fighter.  Badou – thanks for the fight.  I know the crowd enjoyed the show.”

Jack ends 2019 without a win on the year, falling to 22-3-3, 13KOs. He is now 1-2-2 in his last five starts, the lone win coming in a 5th round knockout of Nathan Cleverly to win a light heavyweight belt. The feat marked his lone title fight to not go to the scorecards, with Saturday serving as the sixth time in eight fights with a belt at stake in which the final scores resulted in a split or majority decision or a draw.

“Of course I feel I won the fight, but it is what it is,” admitted a dejected Jack. “He’s got a hell of a chin, he’s a tough warrior and I want to thank him for the opportunity.

“I thought I was winning but maybe I’m wrong.  I would love a rematch.”

From one humble warrior to another, the feeling was mutual.

“Any time,” Pascal said of running it back.

The bout served as the Showtime-televised chief support to the vacant lightweight title fight between Gervonta Davis and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox